


Lonely Traveller

by Janieohio



Series: Quidditch League Oneshots [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Harry Potter, Costumes, Gen, Germany, Lederhosen, Oktoberfest, Traditions, World Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janieohio/pseuds/Janieohio
Summary: Several months after the war, Harry travels to Oktoberfest in Bavaria and bumps into some old acquaintances.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy & Susan Bones
Series: Quidditch League Oneshots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691950
Kudos: 6





	Lonely Traveller

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the seventh round of the Quidditch League fanfiction competition. A special thanks goes out to my extra beta and German consultant this round, EvAEleanor. I appreciate all your help with this American writer taking an imaginary trip to Bavaria.

Harry wandered the small streets of Hexendorf, the all-wizarding village a bit south of Munich, ducking around the passing crowds. It was a lovely autumn day, the sun still clear and warm, and the leaves on the trees just beginning to turn shades of yellow and red. He imagined the village was usually quite pleasant when not suffering the swarms of tourists attracted to the wizarding Oktoberfest celebrations.

Tourists like Harry, actually. He smiled to himself. _He_ was a tourist. No one here knew him, very few recognised him, and absolutely nobody was waiting for him back in his rented rooms. He could come and go as he pleased, and when he was tired of Germany, he'd move on to wherever else his mind took him to go.

Maybe Bulgaria. He'd been hoping to catch up with Viktor Krum while on his trip, and Viktor had extended an invitation to stay with him.

Harry shook his head. But not yet. That felt too much like a commitment, and right now, Harry needed to be free.

He ducked around a souvenir stall and laughed at the selection of lederhosen and hats for sale. There were plenty of people wearing them, of course; people on stage performing, the bartenders in the pub, and most drunken tourists. Add in the odd wizard's hat, many badly transfigured into Alpine hats with feathers, and the witches in bright-coloured dresses instead of robes, and Harry felt like he was in a German comedy film.

Seeing a pub ahead that looked slightly less crowded than the street itself, Harry realised he was hungry and ducked into the darkened interior. He found himself a seat at a table in the corner and smiled at the waiter. "Do you speak English?"

"Yes," the man responded, the English heavily-accented. "Are you eating or drinking?"

"Erm, eating, please." Harry looked over and noticed a man down at the next table eating some sort of roast chicken. "I'll have that if you don't mind. And a Maß of Wiesnbier."

"That's Brathendl," the waiter said, nodding to the chicken. "You'll like it." The man hurried away, allowing Harry to once again get lost in his thoughts. Five weeks he'd been gone from England, and it felt wonderful. He'd waited until Hermione returned to Hogwarts to finish the year she'd missed and had Ron settled in at the shop helping George, then he said goodbye to Andromeda and Teddy, and left.

He'd written a few letters over the last weeks, but other than that, he hadn't looked back. Oh, he knew he'd return, and probably before Christmas, but for now, he'd escaped. He'd got out and he was going to make the best of it. Even if he was alone.

He didn't mind being alone. Not really. He'd been alone most of his life. It was just, watching the families and couples enjoying the festival together, it reminded him that he didn't have that.

Harry accepted his food from the waiter several minutes later and sat eating in silence, listening to the conversations around him, until a distinctive, drawling voice caught his ear.

"Do you really have to wear the costume, _Bones_?"

"Yes, I do. This _clothing_ is traditional, and my mother was _from_ Bavaria, _Malfoy_. She used to show me all kinds of photographs of herself at Oktoberfest when she was young. Now shut up and eat your brezn."

"It's a pretzel, and so you've said about your mother at least a dozen times," Draco Malfoy said, and Harry could practically hear the eye-rolling in the man's tone.

Harry closed his eyes and felt a moment of panic, which he knew was ridiculous, so he took a deep breath and tried to get a grasp on his emotions. Two of his schoolmates were there, and he had no idea what he wanted to do. Should he try to cast a spell to hide from them, or should he approach them, and, well, see if they wanted company? Why was this so damned hard?

He looked down at his mostly finished plate, then reached for his beer and swallowed some down. It was _just_ Susan Bones and Draco Malfoy. He got on well with Susan, and Malfoy, well, he and Malfoy had spoken several times since the war ended, not the least of which was when Harry spoke on his behalf at his trial. He should just greet them, talk for a few minutes, and move on. Just a quick hello wasn't asking them to join him on his journey.

Because that was not what he wanted. _Right?_

He pushed away his plate and waved the waiter over to pay for his meal, using the time to assure himself that he did indeed want to greet the others, then picked up his Maß and walked to the table several feet away, stopping behind an empty chair.

"Reckon I didn't expect to see anyone I knew here," Harry said, trying to project an aura of confidence he didn't feel.

"Harry!" Susan yelled, drawing the attention of the other patrons. She blushed but jumped up to give him a hug, and Harry struggled not to look down as she, um, _bounced._

"Hey, Susan. What are you both doing here? You look great, though. What's this called?" He gestured to her dress.

"A dirndl. Do you like it?" She did a little spin and gave another excited bounce.

Harry blushed. Her dress was a deep green, the skirt falling just below her knees with a light embroidered apron over it. The top—bodice he'd heard Hermione refer to it as—came up like the bib of an apron, with a strap on either shoulder. The part that made him blush was her light-weight white blouse underneath that framed her assets quite beautifully. Her hair, however, was wrapped in an intricate braided bun and tucked behind a little green wool hat with a large red feather.

He grinned. "It's really beautiful. Really."

Susan sat back down, gesturing to the open chair, and picked up her beer, and Harry finally turned his attention to Malfoy as he sat down. "Draco, it's good to see you."

"Harry," Malfoy said, raising his eyebrow as he glanced from Harry to Susan, then back again, making Harry's face flush even more. "What brings you to Hexendorf?"

Harry shrugged. "I was curious to see Oktoberfest. I've read about it and all, and since I'm travelling anyway, it seemed like the thing to do." He stared at his hand and wished he'd brought his beer with him to the table so he had something to fiddle with. "And you?"

"Same, actually," Draco answered, his voice quiet and contemplative. "I just had to get out for a while. I ran into Bones as she was leaving as well, and we've been travelling together."

Harry looked at Susan, surprised.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Draco is good enough company, and I honestly didn't love the idea of being on holiday completely alone. And now we've bumped into you!"

Harry felt a strange emotion he wasn't sure if he could identify. He'd liked his solitude, but he _had_ been lonely.

"Bones, you're going to give him a seizure if you keep being so sociable. This is Potter we're dealing with here. You have to do it with a twist of angst or you'll never get through."

Harry scowled at Draco, then considered his statement, and began to laugh. "Fine, fair enough. I wouldn't mind some company for a little while, I suppose. At least for the celebration. How long are you staying in town?"

Susan grinned and gave another bounce—Harry was prepared for this one, however, and held back the blush—clearly pleased with her success. "At least another two days. I refuse to leave until I get Draco into costume. This was my mother's dress, so _I_ came prepared, but Draco, here, needs the full regalia: the shirt, some leather lederhosen trousers and braces, a hat, and of course the socks."

Harry was watching Draco as she described it and couldn't hold in his laughter as Draco's eyes narrowed and his scowl grew. Then he glanced at Susan and she met his gaze. Her smile broadened, filling Harry's stomach with dread. He could see where this was going.

"And now that you're here, you can _both_ wear it!"

"Absolutely not," they said in tandem, making Susan throw her head back in laughter.

"Absolutely yes! My treat. I'll buy the entire thing." Then she got the most Slytherin expression upon her face as though she were concocting some cunning plan, and Harry was hard-pressed to remember that she'd been a Hufflepuff. "Better yet, the one who I, and five random people of my choosing, decide looks better in the outfit, will have his entire evening's drink tab paid by the other." She grinned. "Now, what do you say?"

Harry considered. He really didn't want to wear one of the outfits, but he was absolutely sure he'd look better in it than Malfoy. He looked Draco up and down in consideration. The man was good looking, but could his tiny arse even keep up the Lederhosen?

He watched Draco considering him as closely, then Draco nodded. "Fine. It's a bet. And you'd better have brought your purse, Potter, because I drink the good stuff."

Harry grinned. "Scared, Malfoy?"

"You wish," Draco answered with an answering smirk.

Susan beamed at them both, then waved to the waitress to pay. "Zahlen bitte!"

Several minutes later, that chore completed, she stood up. "Come on, gentlemen. It's a celebration!" She took each of their arms and escorted them out to the fair to find their costumes. And if Harry had completely forgotten his desire to be alone, well, who could blame him? He had to beat Malfoy.

* * *

_Ende_

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts used for Competition:  
> Write a character that wears an outfit representing their culture.  
> Prompts: [Plot Point] Travelling abroad, [Word] Celebration


End file.
